Dream catchers were designed to "catch"
evil spirits, tangle them up, before they could enter your dreams.
They were made with an open weave so the good dreams could get
through. Dream catchers were woven by the grandfathers and
grandmothers. They were hung above a sleeping baby.
Good
Dreams: The Ojibwa believed that good dreams are light as
air. Good dreams can wander gently through the night, and make their
way down to a sleeping child, through the feathers and twigs of a
dream catcher.
Bad
Dreams: But there is nothing gentle about a bad dream. Bad
dreams are violent and rambunctious. They plunge about in the night
air, and dart down towards a sleeping baby. The dream catchers catches
them in its web. The bad dreams are tangled in the catcher. There they
stay, trapped, until morning, when the sun rises and sends them away.
As other tribes heard about Ojibwa dream
catchers, they adopted the idea. Today, many Native American artists make beautiful dream
catchers to sell, to share, and to keep.
